Jack Grealish has explained why he believes he is currently playing his best football for Manchester City since he joined the club.
Grealish struggled to make an instant impact in his first season at the club after joining form Aston Villa in the summer of 2021. While that is often the case for new City arrivals, his £100m price tag made expectations unrealistically high.
While some of the criticism Grealish received during his first season at the Etihad Stadium was unjustified, the player himself was always open and honest about the need for him to improve.
Last season Grealish contributed three goals and three assists in 26 league appearances, and he has already surpassed that tally this term.
Although the 27-year-old took a while to get going this season, since the World Cup he has been a key performer for the Blues and one of the first names on Pep Guardiola’s team sheet.
Fine form for City
He says his rich vein of form is down to his own hard work off the field as well as the confidence shown in him by his manager.
“I feel I am in the best form since I moved to City,” Grealish told the club’s official website.
“I feel a bit like I did when I was at Aston Villa. I feel like one of the main players and it is the fittest I’ve been.
“That comes down to playing a lot of games on the bounce and playing in big games and making an impact, like scoring against Arsenal and [Manchester] United and getting assists at Chelsea away and Arsenal in the cup.
“I’m really confident at the moment. [Guardiola] is trusting me in big games and I do feel I have repaid him, played my part and done well.”
England duty
Grealish has now joined up with the England squad for EURO 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine, and is expected to be named in Gareth Southgate’s starting XI on Thursday evening in Naples.
Southgate has come under criticism from sections of England’s support after the Three Lions endured a miserable Nations League campaign in 2022 and exited the World Cup at the quarter-final stage.
For Grealish though, he is the perfect man to lead England into next year’s European Championships in Germany.
“Go and ask anyone in that changing room what they think of Gareth [Southgate] and they would all say the same: he is a brilliant manager and a brilliant person as well.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him for what he has done for me.
“We have come close [to winning trophies] so many times. The last three tournaments have been a semi-final, a final and then the quarters.
“I feel like the next one really could be our one. Everyone will be in their prime. I actually feel old at the moment but when I think about it, I will only be 28 at the Euros. It’s no secret that we all want to win a tournament – and I do think it is there to be done.”
